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1. |
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Untethered by notions of space and time
Travelers find solace in new cosmic forces
Enlightened by ideations of subsistence within this realm
An innate sense of being
Forged through discovery of unknown locales
Carved from necessity
Imposed by omnipotence
Beyond this starlight
Suspended in a subtle haze of azure
Tiny ovular lanterns shine in clusters
Flickering eyes amid the dismal landscape
Through unintended observation
Cryptographic patterns emerge
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2. |
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Amassed beside forgotten chambers
Peering into the cavernous void
Of what was once occupied by spirits
A remembrance of bygone generations
Brought about by recent experience
Ascended to fruition by esteemed magistrates
Imparting phrenic transcendence
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3. |
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Predated by millennia
Of indeterminate conception
Visceral reactions give light to moth-eaten traditions
New encounters tell of stories hidden by time
A greater understanding of this strange world arises
Fabricated from incalculable origin
Decaying visions of a once-thriving people
Extinguished by unfavorable circumstances
Mangled hearts on the hem of desolation
Frozen in continuance
An utter echo of existence
Consigned to oblivion
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4. |
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Nothingness
Removal of all perceptible anything
Luminosity vanished in millennia past
Only in complete dissolution can true growth propagate
From purity comes endless potential
No longer hindered by universal constraints
Proliferation awaits
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5. |
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Thrust into unfamiliar dominion
Broken bones
A minuscule obstacle
Overshadowed by current plight
Sight taken
Sonority resigned
External stimuli abandoned
Not given willingly
But eliminated during displacement
White knuckles ravaged by supersonic ideations
Past exuberance consumed by a new reality
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6. |
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Beneath the inner surface
Of the outer terrestrial sphere
Subterranean life forms flourish
Both in stature and in mind
Untouched by modern complications
Inverted realities an equal but opposite pull
Determined by immutable concepts etched in sediment
Long buried by the sand and winds of time
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7. |
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Elliptic curves, modulating against an ocean of black
Lost amongst the giants, drifting aimlessly
Gaseous forms pierced by speeding fragments of empyrean remnants
Breaking ever further from experienced perception
Physical laws fractured by gyrating vortices
Dimensional abstractions exist in redundant layers
Perpetual contortion
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8. |
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Floating daggers and spinning cubic slabs rise above the body's surface
Cuneiform manifests itself upon each of six sides
A new timeline is written
Radiation-soaked lacerations form characters in the forbidden stone
Inscribed telepathically in serpentine patterns
Spiraling endlessly away from their origin
Previously unfathomable laws of nature materialize
Universal governance upturned
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Part two of a trilogy, Ylem builds upon the concept and lyrical theme of the band's independently released debut album, Urraca, by reinforcing the mysticism of the previous album while exploring new themes of displacement, fear, wonder, and transcendence. With the addition of a new drummer and an evolving approach to songwriting, SUNLESS further develops their signature sound with increasingly diverse, dense, and technical offerings.
Best consumed whole, the experience of Ylem is as harrowing as it is satisfying, one rife with dissonant melodies and complex rhythmic structures, certain to leave an indelible mark on the listener's psyche.
released October 29, 2021
Mitch Schooler - Bass
Lucas Scott - Guitar and Vocals
Taylor Hamel - Drums
Engineered by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis, MN.
Mixed and mastered by Colin Marston at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves Studio in Queens, NY.
Album concept, lyrics, art, and design by Andrew Notsch (Hollowdusk) in New York, NY.
Recorded in the circumference of the Second Sixth Day MMXX.
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PREMIERES
Invisible Oranges (US)
www.invisibleoranges.com/sunless-unraveling-arcane-past/
"This is fascinating music -- inventive, intricate, unpredictable, dissonant, dangerous, and delirious, and yet damned addictive." - No Clean Singing (US)
www.nocleansinging.com/2021/10/04/an-ncs-premiere-sunless-ascended-forms/
"Without a doubt, Sunless – Ylem will be ranked as one of the best technical death metal releases of the year." - Metal Injection (US)
metalinjection.net/av/tech-death-tuesday/sunless-welcome-you-into-the-nightmare-realm-of-ylem
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REVIEWS
"Perfect in everything, in skill, in duration, in brutality, it is an absolute ten." - Retumba (Mexico) 10/10
rtmbmusic.com/reviews/6435/sunless-ylem
"Urraca had Sunless establishing themselves as one of the most exciting new faces in the world of dissonant and experimental death metal, and Ylem further solidifies that claim." - Heavy Blog Is Heavy (US)
www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2021/10/05/sunless-ylem/
"Off the charts when it comes to technicality, each track explores the widening breadth of Sunless’ capabilities." - Metal-Rules (Canada) 4/5
www.metal-rules.com/2021/10/01/sunless-ylem/
"Ylem is very attractive, almost enchanting, and will certainly appeal to those for whom idiosyncratic death metal makes the adrenaline flow faster." - Zware Metalen (The Netherlands/Belgium) 82/100
zwaremetalen.com/albumrecensies/sunless-ylem
"Highly recommended and again expanding extreme music" - Dargedik (Peru) 9.6/10
www.dargedik.com/2021/10/sunless-ylem-2021-resena.html
"When you think of dissonant death metal acts, there are certain pillars of the genre that come to mind: Gorguts, Ulcerate, Portal, and the like. With Ylem, Sunless is firmly cementing themselves as an outfit that deserves to be mentioned with those giants." - Noob Heavy (Australia)
noobheavy.com/sunless-ylem/
"Ylem is a seething mass of complex rhythms, dissonant melody, twisted atmosphere, and warped song structure. It is as impressive as it is incomprehensible, and yet this is no barrier to enjoyment; Sunless craft music that you don’t need to understand in order to get swept away by; its dissonant tides are strong." - Wonderbox Metal (UK)
wonderboxmetal.com/2021/10/27/sunless-ylem-review/
"Ylem [is] a well curated and highly proficient listening experience from an above-average specimen." - Grizzly Butts (US) 90/100
grizzlybutts.com/2021/10/28/sunless-ylem-2021-review/
"Ylem marks another expertly constructed opus of techy, dissonant, and progressive death from an immensely talented trio that shoot high and deliver on their lofty ambitions." - Angry Metal Guy (US) 4/5
www.angrymetalguy.com/sunless-ylem-review/
"Focused songwriting drives the stark, unflinching atmosphere into your memory, and repeated listens reveal subtle harmonies and grooves you didn't catch the first time around." - MetalBite (US) 8.5/10
metalbite.com/news/12840/metalbites-top-10-albums-of-the-month-october-2021
"One of the most cleverly written death metal record of the year. "Ylem" is unwieldy and complex, but fascinating and compelling all along." - Everything Is Noise
www.facebook.com/EverythingIsNoise/posts/the-weekly-recs-october-29-2021-well-that-was-no-surprise-monitoring-release-sch/6614530735231435/
"In this genre of music, it is incredibly difficult to play with the type of conviction and maturity that Sunless do. [Ylem] really is one of the strongest releases of 2021." - Teeth of the Divine (US)
www.teethofthedivine.com/reviews/sunless-ylem/
"Ylem is a gobsmacking feat of progressive death metal songwriting... Their debut album Uracca was a thoroughly brilliant record, but Ylem ups the ante in every way... Sunless don’t get talked about often enough. As far as progressive and dissonant death metal goes there are few bands that are as capable, elastic, and captivating." - Heavy Blog Is Heavy, Death's Door (US)
www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2021/11/10/deaths-door-november-2021/
"Llenos de ritmos extraños, arreglos insanos y estructuras demenciales, son dirigidos por una voz rasgada chillona e histérica, con la que van desfilando uno a uno los diferentes cortes, con una intensidad asombrosa, sin par y además, sin un sólo segundo de descanso." - Necromance (Spain) 8/10
necromance.eu/sunless-usa-ylem/
"With Ylem, Sunless delivers a thorough lesson on how to make dissonant death metal as fascinating and enthralling as humanly possible... Sunless has produced one of the most fascinating efforts in their musical realm in recent memory, and it’s worth every single split second you put into listening to it... Ylem is simply put an astonishing album that shouldn’t fly under anyone’s radar." - Everything Is Noise
everythingisnoise.net/reviews/sunless-ylem/
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INTERVIEWS
Noob Heavy (Australia)
noobheavy.com/interview-sunless-from-the-united-states-progressive-death-metal/
LiveMusicToday (US)
livemusictoday.com/2021/11/interview-sunless/
Dreams of Consciousness (Malaysia)
www.dreamsofconsciousness.com/2021/11/203-sunless.html